A Cinderella Story - ZeyBar

Chapter 7

Barış

I hand her the cup of coffee with both hands, her warm fingers covering mine, taking the cup from my hands. I sit back behind my desk and sip my hot bitter coffee, and as I do so I keep my eyes on her and her graceful movements as she also takes a sip and smiles behind the cup, then places it in front of me with trembling hands. 

"So, Zеynep, how do you feel about working here?" - I speak.

"I like it very much, I'm glad you didn't fire me!" - She laughs, me too, unable to restrain her sweet giggle.

"Well, let's see what's inside the folder you brought me" - I take the folder and open it in the middle of the desk so that she can see what I'm looking at. "Please give me your ideas ..." I lean back and enjoy her frightened face as she sips her coffee for the second time and quickly puts her cup back in place. "Don't worry, I'm not biting." She laughs again, swallows heavily, scratches her forehead nervously, and leans back on the desk, ready to begin her presentation.

...

The day passes like any other working day. Not really, not like everyone else, because the last two are different because she's around. From my office I see her workplace and her focus on the work. She hardly takes her eyes off her laptop, the documents she has to deal with, and I notice how often I start to look at her desk,  she has her back to me and sometimes she thinks I don't notice how she also turns for a second.

The end of the working day ended minutes ago, most employees have already left the building, others are still leaving, but she does not leave the pen for a second, even to look at the clock.

When most of my colleagues leave, when I'm ready with all the signatures waiting for me, I grab my jacket and walk quietly to the door. Kenan, another employee of the company, approached her by the time. He leans over her shoulder and tells her something I can't hear from here. But I know each of my colleagues too well. Kenan is a young man who loves nightlife and women, but he is still a great professional in his work, but this is not the case now. Now I'm sure he's offering to take her home, or worse, he's inviting her to dinner. My tie starts to tighten with every second he leans over her shoulder. I loosen it and clench my jaw.

Luckily for me, Kenan leaves alone, a minute later. I rest my fists to my body, relieved that he didn't involve her in his games, because he's not a man for one woman, he's with a different one every week. But she's smart enough to deny him anything. And even if she hadn't, I would certainly have intervened and ruined his plan because I care about her, unlike Kenan, who was just looking for company for the evening.

I remove my thoughts with one movement of my hand and step to her desk. She is so focused on her work at the moment that if I make a sound I will surely scare her and she will jump. Not that it will be her first time.

"Khm," I cough softly behind her back. She stops writing and turns slowly to meet her surprised gaze with mine.

"Hello, Barış Bey." she says softly, leaving the pen on the desk. "Do you need anything?" she asks.

"Actually yes. " You, but no, I can't answer you with that. "I'm leaving, I'm done for today, would you like me to drive you home?" - she looks at me, uncertain what to answer..or how to refuse me.

"I, um, and I'm almost done, but um ... I'm not actually going to the mansion right away, I have to, um ..." she says. - "I have to go to a place before that ..."

"Can I ask where? I will take you wherever you want ... "- I raise an eyebrow and she scratches hers.

"At home. My home... It's my dad's birthday, aand mom said she will go there too, I want to see her ... "- she shares in a very thin and quiet voice. I feel some heaviness in my chest after her words, I don't want her to step there again, with this man called her father, he doesn't deserve her greetings.